Sanctuary Life

From tiny krill to enormous gray whales, thousands of species call the National Marine Sanctuary System home! This category depicts the amazing marine life that you can find in your national marine sanctuaries.

1st Place: A bloom of sea nettles drifts through Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Curtis Wee2nd Place: A sea otter grooms her pup in the Great Tidepool of the aquarium at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Eric Palmer3rd Place: A green sea turtle, or honu in Hawaiian, hangs out at Maluaka Beach in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mike Rineer

Sanctuary Portraits

National marine sanctuaries provide an idyllic setting for a variety of recreational activities – this category celebrates the people who visit them.

1st Place: A surfer contemplates the swell at Lighthouse Point in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas Croft 2nd Place: A diver in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is silhouetted from beneath as they pass through the sunlit water. Photo: Steve Miller3rd Place: A group of people venture out on Black Rock on Maui in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Dan Mitchell

Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos.